We give necessary and sufficient conditions for a norm-compact subset
of a Hilbert space to admit a $C^1$ embedding into a finite dimensional
Euclidean space. Using quasibundles, we prove a structure theorem
saying that the stratum of $n$-dimensional points is contained in an
$n$-dimensional $C^1$ submanifold of the ambient Hilbert space. This
work sharpens and extends earlier results of G.~Glaeser on paratingents.
As byproducts we obtain smoothing theorems for compact subsets of
Hilbert space and disjunction theorems for locally compact subsets
of Euclidean space.